Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
Sometimes you need to cater to the fans and sometimes you need the fans to trust you know what you’re doing – that was the message James Gunn conveyed at a recent DC press event. To illustrate his point, he talked about how the different members of the Guardians of the Galaxy were received by fans.
In particular, he revealed that in the years between 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and 2023’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3”, Karen Gillan’s Nebula grew from one of the most hated Guardians characters to the most loved.
James Gunn Confirms Multiple Stalled DCU Projects
“She was the least popular character when we were screening the first Guardians movie,” Gunn said. “I loved her. I knew she was something special… Then, by the last Guardians movie, she was the favorite. Or up there with the top three. That’s also important. Sometimes I have a plan, and maybe the public doesn’t see it originally, but I see it. I saw who Nebula was.”
Nebula begins her time in the MCU as a villain working for the Kree fanatic Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace). She returns initially for revenge in 2017’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2” but eventually joins the side of the angels. Along with the third film, she reprises her role in “Avengers: Infinity War”, “Avengers: Endgame”, “Thor: Love and Thunder”, “The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special”, and four episodes of “What If…?”
Considering that, it makes sense audiences grew to love Nebula. It isn’t until the second “Guardians” film that they learn how Thanos had been abusing her for years, and how much. By the third “Guardians” film they’d seen her tortured by Thanos (Josh Brolin), mourning her sister, and working with the Avengers.
Gunn also admitted he was blindsided by the popularity of Groot in the first film because the test screenings hadn’t given him any warning: “In all of the test screenings and everything, he wasn’t the most popular character because he was, like, a f–king grey stick. All of a sudden, the movie comes out, he’s the most popular character.”
With Gunn’s part of the MCU over, it’s unclear whether or not we’ll see Gillan play Nebula again. While “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” ends with the note that “The Legendary Star-Lord will return,” it says nothing about Nebula or any of the other Guardians. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.
More Comics:
Channing Tatum’s Scrapped ‘Gambit’ Movie Would Have Been A Rom-Com
Moon Knight’s MCU Future Confirmed
Read the full article here
